Zlata Ognevich
Zlata Leonidivna Ognevich (Ukrainian: Злата Леонідівна Огнєвіч, born Inna Leonidivna Bordyuh (Ukrainian: Інна Леонідівна Бордюг); 12 January 1986), is aUkrainian singer and a deputy of Verkhovna Rada (Parliament of Ukraine).[2][3] Sherepresented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö with the song "Gravity". Ognevich previously attempted to represent Ukraine at the Contest in2010 and 2011. Early life Ognevich was born in 1986 in Murmansk, in the northern part of Russia.[4] She grew up in the Crimean city of Sudak, in the south of Ukraine.[4][nb 1] After turning 18, Ognevich moved to Kiev, where she currently still lives, to pursue a higher music education.[6][7] Ognevich is a graduate of Kiev's Rheingold M. Glière Music College.[4] During her third year at Rheingold she began working with live bands and did her own promotional work.[7] Ognevich in interviews has claimed she has lived in "many cities and countries".[8][9] Musical career Ognevich is a soloist of the Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.[4] 2010: Eurovision Song Contest 2010 Ognevich made her first attempt to enter the Eurovision Song Contest with Ukraine. Her song was "Tiny Island" which finished fifth with 30 points. 2010–2011: Eurovision Song Contest 2011 In 2011, she made her second unsuccessful attempt to represent Ukraine in the contest. This time the song was in the Ukrainian language. Her song was "The Kukushka" which finished second. Following complaints from viewers about the voting procedure in that years final, a new final was to be held on 3 March 2011,[10] But after Jamala and Ognevich withdrew from this new final in the days before it was scheduled to be held, Mika Newton became the artist to represent Ukraine.[11][12] 2012–2014: Eurovision Song Contest 2013 & Junior Eurovision hosting Zlata Ognevich and Timur Miroshnychenko while hosting the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev On 23 December 2012, Zlata made her third attempt to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, by entering the Ukrainian national selection Evrobachennya 2013 - Natsionalyni vidbir with the song "Gravity". After scoring maximum points from both the jury and televote, Ognevich won the right to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden.[13] At the competition, Ukraine qualified from the first semi-final on 14 May 2013, placing 3rd in a field of 16 songs and scoring 140 points. In the final, Ognevich and "Gravity" placed 3rd, scoring 214 points and receiving 12 points from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia and Moldova.[14] Ognevich hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 on November 30 along with Timur Miroshnychenko.[15] Ognevich announced the voting results from Ukraine during the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.[16] In August 2014, Ognevich released her own version of Ukraine's national anthem "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina".[17] Political career In the 26 October 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Ognevich was a candidate (as a non-partisancandidate she placed 4th on the party list) of Radical Party.[3] According to Radical Party leader Oleh Lyashko Ognevich was on the party list because "I understand that in the imagination of people a parliamentarian is jowly, paunchy, old, sick and stupid. I want in Parliament young, smart, beautiful".[18] In the election her party won 22 seats and thus Ognevich was elected into parliament.[2] In parliament she focuses on cultural issues and copyright issues.[19][20] Personal life Five months after the March 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia,[nb 2] Ognevich called the annexation "a very painful tragedy" and stated that her parents, who continue to live in Crimea, would not obtain Russian citizenship.[6] During the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine Ognevich and fellow Ukrainian singers Anastasia Prikhodko raisedMONEY for the 72nd Guards Mechanized Brigade.[22] Discography Singles Category:1986 births Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2013 Category:People from Murmansk Category:Ukrainian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Ukrainian female singers Category:People from Sudak Category:Ukrainian people of Serbian descent Category:Ukrainian sopranos Category:Radical Party (Ukraine) politicians Category:Eighth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada